Communist crucifix for Pope Francis who lashes out at capitalism on Bolivia tour
Pope Francis has urged the people of Latin America to stand up to the world's capitalist system and change the world economic order by creating a “truly communitarian economy” based on distribution of goods among all.
Arriving in #Bolivia, #PopeFrancis insists on church's role in public life http://t.co/oL5m8J6NSIpic.twitter.com/y6QvqY7RCr
— Catholic News Svc (@CatholicNewsSvc) July 9, 2015
Starting his speech with the need to instigate change, he called on the faithful to fight to protect human dignity in a “system” where farm workers end up without land or home and laborers without rights.
“Do we realize that that system has imposed the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature?” he asked at a powerful speech before a gathering of social movements in Bolivia.
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Once “capital” becomes an “idol” and guides individuals and once “greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system,” it ruins society, Francis said. It enslaves individuals and destroys “ fraternity,” a system which “excludes, debases and kills.”
“This system is by now intolerable. So let’s not be afraid to say it: we need change; we want change,” Pope Francis said.
The Pope called on his followers to create a “truly communitarian economy,” a system that would guarantee the three “L’s” of land, lodging and labor.
Another fantastic photo of @Pontifex in #Bolivia#picofthedaypic.twitter.com/yJYkf85L7L
— Ryan M. Thomas ن (@RyanM_Thomas) July 9, 2015
“It is no utopia or chimera. It is an extremely realistic prospect. We can achieve it. Working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labor is not mere philanthropy. It is a moral obligation,” the Pope said in the city of Santa Cruz to participants of the second world meeting of popular movements, an international body that brings together organizations of people on the margins of society.
The Argentinian-native Pope urged the crowd to tackle “three great tasks”.
READ MORE: 'Not to share wealth with poor is to steal': Pope slams capitalism as 'new tyranny'
The first task is to create an economy at the ”service of peoples” not at the “service of money” Such an approach, the Pope believes, will focus on service rather than profits which in return will protect “Mother Earth.”
The second task is to unite our peoples on the “path of peace and justice” to defend their sovereignty against “colonialism.”
“The new colonialism takes on different faces. At times it appears as the anonymous influence of mammon: corporations, loan agencies, certain free trade treaties, and the imposition of measures of austerity which always tighten the belt of workers and the poor.”
“Monopolizing communications” is yet another example of consumerism and “new colonialism” for the Pope that ultimately denies countries the right to development.
Only in Bolivia take 2: Pope Francis used a @BurgerKing as a sacristy to prepare for the Mass. Pic by @pablo_ordazpic.twitter.com/Xga8eFcIXg
— IneSM (@inesanma) July 9, 2015
Pope Francis called on social movements to protect their culture, their language, their social processes and their religious traditions.
The third task is environmental: to “defend Mother Earth,” by breaking down the current “system” which ravishes the planet's ecology.
The pontiff issued a fierce condemnation of the world's governments for what he calls "cowardice" in defending the Earth, calling it "a grave sin."
“We cannot allow certain interests – interests which are global but not universal – to take over, to dominate states and international organizations, and to continue destroying creation,” Pope Francis concluded.
